Guideline recommended statin eligibility and use among U.S. adults ages 20 to 39 years.

Objective: Guidelines for statin therapy emphasize treatment of adults ages 40-75 years, with less guidance for the treatment of younger adults, ages 20-39 years. Only two class 1 recommendations for statin apply to younger adults: 1) secondary prevention and 2) severe hypercholesterolemia (LDL-C ≥ 190 mg/dL). The implementation of guidelines within this age group has not been well studied.

Genetically predicted lipoprotein(a) associates with coronary artery plaque severity independent of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Aims: Elevated Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but the mechanisms of risk are debated. Studies have found inconsistent associations between Lp(a) and measurements of atherosclerosis. We aimed to assess the relationship between Lp(a), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and coronary artery plaque severity.

Proportion and number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in the United States, 2019.

In 2018, the authors reported estimates of the number and proportion of cancers attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in 2014 in the United States. These data are useful for advocating for and informing cancer prevention and control. Herein, based on up-to-date relative risk and cancer occurrence data, the authors estimated the proportion and number of invasive cancer cases (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers) and deaths, overall and for 30 cancer types among adults who were aged 30 years and older in 2019 in the United States, that were attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors.

Assessing the impact of community-based interventions on hypertension and diabetes management in three Minnesota communities: Findings from the prospective evaluation of US HealthRise programs.

Background: Community-based health interventions are increasingly viewed as models of care that can bridge healthcare gaps experienced by underserved communities in the United States (US). With this study, we sought to assess the impact of such interventions, as implemented through the US HealthRise program, on hypertension and diabetes among underserved communities in Hennepin, Ramsey, and Rice Counties, Minnesota.

Methods And Findings: HealthRise patient data from June 2016 to October 2018 were assessed relative to comparison patients in a difference-in-difference analysis, quantifying program impact on reducing systolic blood pressure (SBP) and hemoglobin A1c, as well as meeting clinical targets (< 140 mmHg for hypertension, < 8% Al1c for diabetes), beyond routine care.

Mortality by Education Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, U.S., 2017-2020.

Introduction: Mortality disparities by SES, including education, have steadily increased in the U.S. over the past decades.

Association Between Smoking, Smoking Cessation, and Mortality by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex Among US Adults.

Importance: Patterns of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation vary considerably across demographic groups in the US, but there is limited evidence on whether the hazards of smoking and benefits of quitting vary across these groups. Population-specific evidence on the benefits of quitting smoking may motivate cessation among groups historically underrepresented in medical research.

Objective: To quantify the association between smoking, smoking cessation, and mortality by race, ethnicity, and sex.

External validation of models for predicting risk of colorectal cancer using the China Kadoorie Biobank.

Background: In China, colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality have been steadily increasing over the last decades. Risk models to predict incident CRC have been developed in various populations, but they have not been systematically externally validated in a Chinese population.  This study aimed to assess the performance of risk scores in predicting CRC using the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB), one of the largest and geographically diverse prospective cohort studies in China.

Person-years of life lost and lost earnings from cigarette smoking-attributable cancer deaths, United States, 2019.

State-specific information on lost earnings due to smoking-attributable cancer deaths to inform and advocate for tobacco control policies is lacking. We estimated person-years of life lost (PYLL) and lost earnings due to cigarette smoking-attributable cancer deaths in the United States nationally and by state. Proportions and numbers of cigarette smoking-attributable cancer deaths and associated PYLL among individuals aged 25 to 79 years in 2019 were calculated and combined with annual median earnings to estimate lost earnings attributable to cigarette smoking.

American Cancer Society's report on the status of cancer disparities in the United States, 2021.

In this report, the authors provide comprehensive and up-to-date US data on disparities in cancer occurrence, major risk factors, and access to and utilization of preventive measures and screening by sociodemographic characteristics. They also review programs and resources that have reduced cancer disparities and provide policy recommendations to further mitigate these inequalities. The overall cancer death rate is 19% higher among Black males than among White males.

Association of Smoking Initiation and Cessation Across the Life Course and Cancer Mortality: Prospective Study of 410 000 US Adults.

This cohort study investigates the association between age at smoking initiation and cessation and cancer mortality using National Health Interview Survey data.

Association between disparities in intergenerational economic mobility and cause-specific mortality among Black and White persons in the United States.

Background: Evidence about the association between structural racism and mortality in the United States is limited. We examined the association between ongoing structural racism, measured as inequalities in adulthood income between White and Black children with similar parental household income (economic mobility gap) in a recent birth cohort, and Black-White disparities in death rates (mortality gap) overall and for major causes.

Methods: Sex-, race/ethnicity-, and county-specific data were used to examine sex-specific associations between economic mobility and mortality gaps for all causes combined, heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), injury/violence, all malignant cancers, and 14 cancer types.

Evaluating clinical characteristics studies produced early in the Covid-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

Objectives: Clinical characterisation studies have been essential in helping inform research, diagnosis and clinical management efforts, particularly early in a pandemic. This systematic review summarises the early literature on clinical characteristics of patients admitted to hospital, and evaluates the quality of evidence produced during the initial stages of the pandemic.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Global Health databases were searched for studies published from January 1st 2020 to April 28th 2020.

Alcohol consumption and cause-specific mortality in Cuba: prospective study of 120 623 adults.

Background: The associations of cause-specific mortality with alcohol consumption have been studied mainly in higher-income countries. We relate alcohol consumption to mortality in Cuba.

Methods: In 1996-2002, 146 556 adults were recruited into a prospective study from the general population in five areas of Cuba.

Low-intensity daily smoking and cause-specific mortality in Mexico: prospective study of 150 000 adults.

Background: Research is needed to determine the relevance of low-intensity daily smoking to mortality in countries such as Mexico, where such smoking habits are common.

Methods: Prospective study of 159 755 Mexican adults recruited from 1998-2004 and followed for cause-specific mortality to 1 January 2018. Participants were categorized according to baseline self-reported smoking status.

Sex differences in prevalence, treatment and control of cardiovascular risk factors in England.

Objective: To investigate sex differences in prevalence, treatment and control of major cardiovascular risk factors in England.

Methods: Data from the Health Survey for England 2012-2017 on non-institutionalised English adults (aged ≥16 years) were used to investigate sex differences in prevalence, treatment and control of major cardiovascular risk factors: body mass index, smoking, systolic blood pressure and hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol and dyslipidaemia. Physical activity and diet were not assessed in this study.

Community-based interventions for detection and management of diabetes and hypertension in underserved communities: a mixed-methods evaluation in Brazil, India, South Africa and the USA.

Introduction: As non-communicable disease (NCD) burden rises worldwide, community-based programmes are a promising strategy to bridge gaps in NCD care. The HealthRise programme sought to improve hypertension and diabetes management for underserved communities in nine sites across Brazil, India, South Africa and the USA between 2016 and 2018. This study presents findings from the programme's endline evaluation.

Association of childhood smoking and adult mortality: prospective study of 120 000 Cuban adults.

Background: The average age at which people start smoking has been decreasing in many countries, but insufficient evidence exists on the adult hazards of having started smoking in childhood and, especially, in early childhood. We aimed to investigate the association between smoking habits (focusing on the age when smokers started) and cause-specific premature mortality in a cohort of adults in Cuba.

Methods: For this prospective study, adults were recruited from five provinces in Cuba.

Trends in the prevalence of overweight among Bangladeshi children aged 24-59 months (2004-2014) by sex and socioeconomic status.

Background: While recent evidence suggests that the overall prevalence of overweight in young children in Bangladesh is low, little is known about variation in trends by sex, socioeconomic status, urbanicity, and region. We investigated the trends in overweight among children aged 24-59 months by these factors, using nationally representative samples from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS) between 2004 and 2014.

Methods: Data from four BDHS surveys conducted between 2004 and 2014, with valid height and weight measurements of children, were included in this study (n = 15,648).

The overweight and obesity transition from the wealthy to the poor in low- and middle-income countries: A survey of household data from 103 countries.

Background: In high-income countries, obesity prevalence (body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2) is highest among the poor, while overweight (body mass index greater than or equal to 25 kg/m2) is prevalent across all wealth groups. In contrast, in low-income countries, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is higher among wealthier individuals than among poorer individuals. We characterize the transition of overweight and obesity from wealthier to poorer populations as countries develop, and project the burden of overweight and obesity among the poor for 103 countries.